Break the Grave
by SnellWhite
Summary: When Carrie wakes up to find herself six feet underground after mistakenly being taken for dead, she must find out how to survive with no friends, no family, no home, and even worse: no life; her records had been swiped clean. The only person who might help her is an irreplaceable asset to her survival, and one whom she begins to love very dearly. Femslash; Carrie x Sue
1. Chapter 1

**Edit: I had the teacher's name wrong. I wasn't sure what it was, so I looked it up as I was writing and it said Miss Collins. Thanks to the guest reviewer for correcting me!**

She didn't know how or why it happened. She was barely conscious, let alone functioning. She didn't know where she was or why it was so dark and stale...Was she dead? Was this the afterlife? It was far too crammed for Carrie's liking. She wanted to go back to sleep. Everything was peaceful in her sleep; there were no small spaces stinking of dirt and mold.

She almost did go back to sleep. After all, what else was there? But then, at the last moment, something cracked. What was it? There didn't seem to be anything around that could have cracked. Then again, it had sounded muffled, as if on the other side of a thick wall.

Carrie furrowed her brow in concentration, then gasped as there was another loud crack directly in the two foot space above her face. Clumps of dirt fell into her eyes and mouth, and she promptly wiped at her face to get the offending soil to go away.

What was the meaning of this? Had she done that? She hadn't thought about doing it. Perhaps her power was out of control, if that was what it was. Of course, it had to be. What else could it have been? She was alive, and she was...

She was...

Carrie was suddenly aware of the lack of oxygen in the casket and screamed, lashing out with her power in fear and confusion. She was underground! She had been buried alive! Carrie began to take quick, shallow breaths, anxiety bubbling up inside her as the previous blast of telekinesis only showered her in more dirt. She pushed at the earth over and over again, slowly making progress, until she thrust both of her hands upward and the remaining soil exploded out of the grave, leaving a wide hole in her berth.

Though her body was weak, she was filled with adrenaline, and it didn't take any time for Carrie to scramble out of the hole in the ground and come to rest beside it. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky, her chest heaving.

Carrie tilted her head as she began to catch her breath, narrowing her eyes up at the sky. It was dark, and tiny flecks of light from the stars stared back down at her. The stars must have witnessed everything. If only they could speak to her and tell her what kind of mess this was. Was she buried alive on purpose or had she been mistaken for dead? She figured both were equally likely, considering her reputation.

Carrie took a deep breath and sat up, then glanced around to take stock of her surroundings. She was in the Chamberlain Cemetery, the only cemetery in town. She knew where she was, but...she didn't know where to go.

She drew her knees to her chest and locked her arms around them, feeling more hollow inside than anything. What was she to do? Perhaps she should have gone back to sleep in the grave, anyway.

Carrie looked at the marker, curious, and felt her heart sink. The first thing she noticed, other than the fact that it was cracked down the middle, were the large red letters scrawled over it. "Carrie White burns in Hell". She felt her stomach twist and she drew her legs up to her chest, clasping her arms around them. Should it really be that much of a surprise to her? She knew everyone hated her. Everyone. Even her own mother had thought she was spawn of the devil, and even she was dead.

Despite never wanting to see the grave marker again, Carrie felt her eyes being drawn to it once more. It was a hideous sight, one that made her want to crawl back into the grave and die, but...

She blinked. A small blob of white glowed in the light of the waxing moon. It didn't fit the dreary atmosphere; in fact, she wasn't even sure of what it was. She crawled closer and bit her lip as the object came into focus. Carrie picked it up, gently, and brought it close to her face, where she could study it better.

It was a single white rose. Its petals were satiny and clean, and the stem was moist and flexible; it wasn't even brittle as it would be if it were dying. The rose was fresh; it couldn't have been there for more than a few hours, if that. Carrie stroked a smooth petal with one finger, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

Did someone leave this for her, or had it been a mistake? Surely nobody here could possibly miss her, not after what she had done at prom.

Prom. Carrie winced as the memories of that night came rushing back. So many people were dead...so many students and teachers, all because of her. It was directly her fault, and nothing could change that. But even with that fact withstanding, the rose did not walk to her grave itself. Someone had to have put it there.

But who? Who could have possibly forgiven her enough to show her resting place any amount of respect? The first person that came to her mind was Mr. Desjardin. After all, she was the one person who had helped her and believed in her. However, even in that case, the woman had probably set the rose there because it was a polite thing to do. There was no way Carrie was going to find Mrs. Desjardin and reveal to her that she was still alive. She didn't know who she could trust.

She winced as her stomach let out a loud rumble. She was hungry. And absolutely parched. She felt scared and alone; she had no one to turn to, no home, and no way to get food and water. She could not even risk sneaking into a gas station for a drink from the water fountain if it meant she could get caught. Whoever found her would probably kill her on spot.

She couldn't stay here, though, that was for sure. Someone would notice the destruction that had been wrought on her grave and assume it had just been further vandalized, but if she was still there herself, things would not be good.

Carrie sighed and got to her feet, clutching the white rose to her chest as if it were her lifeline. She would go back to her house and...and if the debris was still there, then there must be somewhere to hide once the sun rises. It would be all she could do until she could come up with a better plan.

The trek to her former home wasn't too long, and she was barely winded by the time she reached it. She could see the sun beginning to peek over treetops on the horizon, and she bit her lip as she scanned the street for any people that might see her.

Once she was sure the entire area was clear, she got closer to the pile of rubble that used to be her house. None of it had been cleaned yet, and Carrie only wondered why for a brief moment before shrugging it off and beginning to scour the chunks of plaster and drywall for a place to hide and give her shelter.

Once she found a decent place where she was sure she couldn't be seen from any angle, she nestled down into the cold stone and closed her eyes, exhaustion taking precedence over anything else that would have kept her awake.


	2. Chapter 2

Carrie woke up to the ground trembling beneath her. She tensed and panicked for a moment, thinking it was an earthquake, but soon had her hunch was proven wrong when a piercing, rhythmic beeping was added to the cacophony of sound.

She scrambled into a sitting position and promptly hit her head on a wooden plank that had been helping to shield her from onlookers, then backed deeper into the rubble, holding her hand to her head with her eyes frantic like a trapped wild animal.

They were construction vehicles. The entire front yard was swarming with them, dangerous metal creatures that could reveal her at any minute. Carrie felt her heart pounding fast and hard in her chest. She had to get out of there without being seen!

There was a small section of forested area behind the house, but it wouldn't provide much cover. The trees were thin and there wasn't much undergrowth close to the ground, but it would have to do. She had no choice; if she stayed where she was, she would be either killed, found, or both.

Carrie glanced out of the rubble to scope out the positions of the construction workers. Most of them were still situated inside the vehicles that they had parked in the yard, but some were out and about. One was dangerously close to the house itself, and very nearly gave Carrie a heart attack when he turned toward her.

She shrank back into the debris, squeezing her eyes shut and wishing, not for the first time, that all of this was just some nightmare. But, of course, she knew that it couldn't be true. God would never be so cruel as to trick her into thinking such a nightmare was reality.

Carrie checked outside occasionally, looking through a gap in the wood and drywall, trying to decide when it would be best to make a break for the woods. She was lucky the workers seemed to be procrastinating their work, and was given more time than she had hoped.

At one point, after sitting in one place for nearly half an hour, Carrie finally saw her chance. The opportunity could be gone just as soon as it had arisen, so she had to make her move quickly. While all of the workers were occupied with laughing at something across the street unknown to her, she used both her hands and her power to worm her way out of the rubble making as little noise as possible. As soon as she was free, she fled straight into the cover of the trees and didn't look back until she had crouched behind a bush.

Carrie let out a small sigh of relief when it became apparent that nobody had noticed her. Most of them had gone back to doing whatever it had been that they were doing before, but one man still stood laughing and mocking someone on the street. Carrie was shocked; he sounded like the abusive kids at school who had given her a hard time, but he was a grown man. Who could he possibly be treating that way?

Carrie could not help the strong wave of curiosity that washed over her, and she crept along the edge of the woods until she could see who the man was shouting at. Her eyes widened when she recognized the figure; it was one of the last people she would have expected to be made fun of, especially by a construction worker who would have been better off doing his job.

The girl on the street was none other than Sue Snell. Carrie realized that she must have been walking home from school; her bag was slung over her shoulder and she was dressed neatly as she always was for school.

Carrie watched, unable to tear her eyes away. Sue did not tell the man to stop, nor did she even acknowledge his presence. She kept her head and eyes forward, walking with false pride down the edge of the road. Carrie could see even from where she was that the man's words were affecting her, though; her eyes were glazed over with anger and sadness.

Carrie couldn't understand what the construction worker was saying, but she knew it obviously couldn't be anything good. Sue Snell had never liked her much, but in that moment, Carrie felt a pang of pity for her. She knew what it was like to be in the girl's position, and it was one of the worst things imaginable.

Without even thinking first, Carrie narrowed her eyes and thrust her hand out a bit, then watched as the man stumbled a bit and looked wildly about him, yelling assumedly at the other workers to fess up as to who had pushed him.

Carrie stifled a giggle at the man's fury, and was relieved when he seemed to forget about Sue. She, on the other hand, had stopped in her tracks. Sue had been able to see the man out of the corner of her eye, and he was most definitely not pushed. Not by anything visible or tangible, anyway.

Carrie only noticed that Sue had stopped when the other girl turned her eyes toward the woods, searching in confusion and...fear? Carrie backed further into the trees and crouched down again, watching as Sue squinted and tried to peer into the foliage. Carrie didn't dare move again until Sue had given up searching and began walking again.

Until then, Carrie hadn't noticed what Sue had been holding in her hand. She caught a glimpse of it, however, when the other girl turned down another road on the corner, one that Carrie knew didn't lead to her house. She knew because it was the way she had come the previous night; it lead to the cemetery.

And there, in Sue Snell's hand, was a single white rose.

Carrie looked down at the rose she had taken from her grave the night before, which she hadn't let go of since. It was identical to the one Sue was holding, and Carrie covered her mouth with her free hand when the pieces of the puzzle clicked together.

The rose hadn't come from Mrs. Desjardin after all. It had been Sue's doing, and there she was, about to leave another.

Until she notices that the entire grave has been destroyed.

There wasn't much Carrie could do, and frankly, she wasn't quite sure what it was she wanted to do in the first place. Thought after thought ran through her head and crowded her mind, enclosing her almost in the same way the grave had.

What would Sue do when she found the grave uprooted? Would she call the police? Would she just ignore it and leave? And why had she been leaving roses? It wasn't as if Carrie deserved them from her or from anyone. Perhaps it was just because Carrie had saved her at the last moment as the house had been crumbling down around them.

Either way, one thing in her mind was certain. If she was going to trust anyone in this God-awful town, her best bet would be Sue. After all, the girl had helped her in the past when she least expected it. She'd given up her boyfriend to give Carrie the night of her life at prom. She'd come to help her after she'd fallen out and massacred all of those people, and her mother...

Yes, she decided. I need to talk to someone, and that someone will have to be Sue Snell.


	3. Chapter 3

How Carrie was going to approach Sue, she had no idea. The girl was thought to be dead by every resident in Chamberlain and probably more. She obviously couldn't just waltz up to Sue and ask how her day's going. Not as if she would do that anyway, even if she were known to be alive. She'd lived a hard life, and if she were going to interact with people in that way, she would need a lot of practice.

Carrie wandered deeper into the woods, then sat down to think. She couldn't go meet Sue at the cemetery; there was no way for her to get there without being seen. The trees only lined the back of the houses on this street; to get anywhere else, she would have to wait until nighttime.

She knew Sue's house was on this street, but she wasn't sure which one it was. In order for her to do anything, she'd have to find out, and even then she'd have to be lucky enough for Sue to come home before her parents, if they weren't already there.

Carrie bit her lip and twisted the rose in her fingers nervously, feeling a new knot in her stomach beginning to wring itself out inside her. There was only a slim possibility she'd be able to get Sue on her own, and even if she could manage it, what would she do? It might terrify Sue to see an allegedly dead girl standing at her doorstep, but she needed someone's support. At the very least, long enough to get some sustenance before she collapsed. She was already faint and dizzy from lack of food and water, and for the first time she actually began to wonder how long she had been buried.

It couldn't have been too long, considering the remains of her house hadn't even been cleared away yet, but considering she had been mistaken for dead and buried, she must have been unconscious for at least a few days. She'd heard of people being buried alive like that before, in a coma or such that made them appear dead. Is that what had happened to her? After all, an entire house had collapsed on her. It was a wonder she had survived at all.

Carrie took a deep breath, still gazing at the rose between her index finger and thumb. She would wait for Sue to return from the cemetery, then follow her from the safety of the trees to figure out which house she lived in. It couldn't be that difficult, right? After digging her way out of her own grave and sneaking around construction workers like some kind of spy, it should seem like a piece of cake.

And it was, in her head. But when she finally saw Sue coming back down the road, nothing seemed as easy as she made it out to be. She'd have to face that girl soon, a girl who had bullied her up until the last week or so of her public life. Of course, Sue wasn't like that now. She was kinder, softer. Carrie could tell that there was more good in her than in everyone else at school combined.

Carrie peered out of the trees to let her eyes follow Sue, and furrowed her brow a bit as the girl got closer and came more into focus. She was clutching at her bag with both hands and hunched over a little, and even from the other side of the street and through the trees, Carrie could tell that there were tears falling down her face in ugly little rivulets.

Carrie was confused; obviously Sue had had some kind of respect for her as evidenced by the roses, but she didn't think it would extend beyond that. She figured it was only because Sue owed her life to Carrie that she had been bringing the roses. Now, though, it seemed differently. Sue's tear-streaked, contorted face was not pretty. She was crying genuine tears for the loss of Carrie's supposed resting place and, presumably, for the body that was no longer in it.

The sight made Carrie's heart melt. Was it true that Sue actually cared so much that she would shed tears for her? She hadn't thought it was possible, but there she was, plain as day.

This time, the construction worker who had been mocking Sue before didn't say a word. He only glanced up as she came down the road and frowned a little, then went back to his work. Carrie was glad; she didn't think she'd be able to watch Sue get abused again, especially not when she looked as miserable as she did.

Carrie stuck to her plan, though, and crept along the edge of the forest, sneaking behind people's homes, always keeping Sue in sight. The following part wasn't hard. Sue's house was at the very end of the street, along a cul-de-sac, and her backyard was thankfully still shaded by the woods. She watched as Sue turned into her driveway and entered her house, feeling a bit sick to her stomach now that the time had come. Neither of Sue's parents appeared to be home; the drive was devoid of cars save for Sue's, which she obviously hadn't been using.

Once Sue was inside, Carrie took a deep breath and approached the house's back door. She wasn't stupid enough to try the front, not with the other side of the cul-de-sac facing her in broad daylight.

Carrie braced herself, trembling slightly with physical and mental weakness as she raised her hand to knock. What if this didn't go over as she wanted it to? Needed it to? She shook her head and told herself she had no other choice, then rapped her knuckles against the door before standing back and waiting, eyes trained on the ground and breathing rapid with apprehension.

She finally looked up again when she heard the door open to reveal Sue, whose makeup was still streaked over her cheeks and eyes red and puffy. She watched with careful inspection as Sue's eyes widened noticeably, more fear in her face now than anything. She was lost for words, and Carrie didn't blame her. It was literally as if she'd seen a ghost.

Carrie opened her mouth to try to speak, but no words came out. What was she supposed to say? Her head was cloudy and she could not even form complete thoughts in her mind, let alone out loud. She tried once again to talk, but nothing made it out of her mouth before tiny gray dots that had been dancing in front of her eyes morphed into one giant clump and faded to black as Carrie fainted and collapsed in a heap at Sue's doorstep.

**A/N: I'm on a rolllll! Hopefully that roll continues for the rest of the day before I have to go back to school tomorrow. I suppose I should probably introduce myself. I'm Lexi, and I just saw Carrie this past Friday. I fell in love with it. And, as I'm sure you can tell, I ship Carrie and Sue hardcore xD **

**I'll try to keep updating throughout the day, and any and all reviews left will be super appreciated! Thanks for reading, everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

Carrie slowly began to drift into consciousness as a hand gently patted her cheek and a voice called her name. The voice was warped and fuzzy, but the words were clear enough.

"Carrie? Carrie, w-wake up. C-come on."

Carrie's eyes fluttered open and then came to rest on the face of the girl who was hovering above her. Sue's eyes were still wide with fear and disbelief, and Carrie thought she could detect defensiveness.

Before doing anything, she took note of where she was. She was inside now, on a couch. Soft leather lay beneath her, and she took the time to run her fingers over the tiny cool ridges, happy to feel something other than earth and stone underneath her. She tried to look around at the room, but an object, something thin and cold, pressed against the skin of her throat stopped her. It had already been there, but she hadn't taken notice of the small pear knife until then.

Carrie looked back up at Sue's frightened face and frowned. "S-Sue?" Her voice was dry and raspy from disuse. Was Sue going to kill her? Had she completely misinterpreted the other girl's behavior? Perhaps she had been intent on killing her all along. Maybe she had orchestrated the prom catastrophe after all, and Chris had only been there to do the dirty work.

Carrie felt like she was going to be sick. She'd thought that Sue was on her side, but now she had major doubts. A knife was at her throat. Of course, she could easily turn it around and send it into Sue if she wanted to, but was there really any point? If the one person who she thought might help her wasn't going to, it would be easier to die. She couldn't survive on her own, not yet, and death could be a pleasant gift.

Sue, though, didn't make any move to dig the knife in any more. She just shook her head and stayed still, breathing heavily, her body not even a foot above Carrie's. "Y-you...a-are...you really..."

Sue didn't appear to be able to form a coherent sentence, but Carrie knew what she was asking. She didn't trust her voice, and merely nodded in confirmation. She instinctively shrugged her shoulders up and felt her body tense. She was already reverting back to the shy, scared girl she had been before. She couldn't do this; she wouldn't even be able to have a conversation with Sue if she wanted to.

But Sue did want answers, and Carrie didn't blame her. "How?"

Carrie only shrugged her shoulders higher and shook her head a little. She forced herself to get a few words out, trying to clarify for the girl who was still on top of her, still holding a knife. "D-dunno. Woke up...i-in the grave."

"You're the one who broke it."

It was more of a statement than a question, but Carrie still nodded her head in reply. Sue looked down at the knife and stared at it as if she hadn't noticed she'd been holding it, then bit her lip and got off of the couch, heading to a separate room, presumably the kitchen, and then came back without the knife.

Sue bent over and rested the back of her hand on Carrie's forehead for a moment, then drew it away. "Why did you pass out? Do you feel okay?"

Carrie considered telling Sue that she was fine, but it was an obvious lie and, after all, she did come here for help. If she couldn't acknowledge that she needed it and ask for it, then she would never get anywhere.

"Dizzy," she said shortly. She didn't know if she could explain it any better than that. Sue paused in thought for a moment, then realized why Carrie was in this state.

"You need food, don't you?" she said. "And water. Oh god, you...you were in that grave for three days. I-I'll be right back." Sue spun around rushed back into the kitchen, coming back a few minutes later with her arms full of snack food and water bottles. She set everything down on the coffee table and helped Carrie sit up. "I'm sorry it's all junk, but...I don't want to take the time to cook something. I don't want you to black out again. My parents are at a house party, so we have some time."

Carrie was immediately overwhelmed, but she didn't say anything. She let Sue stuff a bag of beef jerky and a bottle of water into her arms and urge her to eat. She couldn't ignore her hunger and thirst and complied, but she had to know. She spoke between bites of food and sips of water. "Why?"

It was a simple enough question, and Carrie thought the meaning was evident, but Sue only tilted her head, her brows knitting together. "Why are you just...just helping me like this? After what I did?"

"Carrie..." Sue looked down and took a deep breath, sighing it out heavily. "You aren't...I-I know you're not a bad person. We just...w-we pushed you, and...and I can't even bring myself to blame you for what you did. I think anyone would have, in your place."

"That doesn't change the fact that I k...k-killed..." Carrie shook her head and set the food back down on the table before drawing her legs to her chest again and burying her face in her knees, a small sob escaping her throat. "I should...I should b-be dead..."

Sue shook her head. "Carrie, no. No, you shouldn't be. You should be alive, and look-here you are! Alive! I don't know how you are, but I'm glad." She bit her lip and took Carrie's hands into her own. "It's not your fault. Part of it's my fault. Part of it is Chris'. But it's not yours. I just...I'm so glad you're okay."

Carrie wasn't expecting Sue's warm arms to wrap around her, and she would have protested had the motion not triggered a sudden pain in her upper back. She gasped and ripped herself away from Sue, shocked by the pain. At first she wondered what it could possibly be, but then she remembered.

She remembered everything. Her mother stabbing her in the back, cutting her leg and her arm. She gingerly brought her right hand up to the bottom of her left arm, wincing a little as it, too, stung her.

"What is it?" Sue asked, leaning forward a little. Carrie held her arm to her chest and shook her head.

"It's nothing...just...just a cut. It'll heal."

"Carrie, it's bleeding." Sue gently took Carrie's hand and drew her arm away from her chest, then slowly pulled her sleeve up to her shoulder. The cut was bleeding, though not as badly as it had been the night she had gotten it. Now that she thought about it, she may have scraped it open again on a tree as she had been following Sue. It didn't surprise her that she hadn't noticed.

Sue had already gotten a large wad of paper towels and come back, then promptly pressed them onto the cut. Carrie gasped in surprise and accidentally made the lights flicker, but she steeled herself and sat silently as Sue tended to the long cut. It wasn't long before she slowed the bleeding, and she left once again to get gauze and tape from the bathroom.

Carrie remained as still as a statue as Sue taped the gauze over the gash in her arm, barely even appearing to breathe. There was still so much to take in. This girl had hated her for half of her life. Now, she was the only reason Carrie was even given the option to live. What would she even do? She couldn't stay in Sue's care forever. Was she to somehow create a new life in a new town? She was only seventeen, but maybe once she was eighteen she could pull it off.

But with what money? Even if her mom had left her anything, she was certifiably dead. There would be no way to get it without committing herself to Chamberlain again. She would frighten everyone, there would be even more rumors than before...not to mention the unspeakable crimes she had committed on prom night.

Carrie felt her chest tighten. She was trapped yet again, and this time she didn't see any way out. She couldn't help it as her breathing sped up and tears sprang to her eyes as she was thrust into panic mode. The lights flickered again and Carrie gasped for air as the vise around her chest gripped tighter and tighter, until it was nearly impossible to breathe. She didn't even register Sue trying everything she could to get her to calm down and stop hyperventilating.

Eventually, not knowing what else to do, Sue gave up and drew Carrie closer, wrapping her arms around and running her fingers through her hair, shushing the panicked girl. "Hey...h-hey, take deep breaths, okay?" Sue urged. "J-just take deep breaths. W-with me. Can you copy me?"

Sue didn't even know if Carrie could understand her, but she began demonstrating anyway, even going so far as to pull Carrie's head down to rest on her own chest. Finally, little by little, Carrie began to calm down. She didn't know what to say to comfort the other girl, so she just kept her fingers steadily running through her hair. After the panic was over, Sue felt tears well up in her own eyes. Poor Carrie had been through so much, and it was a wonder she could even stand it at all.

And it made Sue so _sad_. A bit angry at herself and at others, but mostly sad. Carrie never deserved any of it. She didn't deserve this state of mind. She deserved to lead a decent life after the awful childhood she had suffered through.

Sue didn't have time to process the situation any further, though, before she heard an engine outside and looked up at the clock by the television. "Shit," she cursed, "My parents are back early." She turned back toward Carrie and tugged her arm a little. "Can you stand? Can you walk? Come on, you have to hide; my parents are home."

Carrie finally acknowledged Sue's instruction and stood on shaky legs, then followed her through the house and to Sue's room. Sue thrust her inside, a bit more roughly than she had meant, and whispered, "Stay in here; I'll stall them. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

And with that, Sue slammed the door shut and fled back to the living room to meet her parents, leaving Carrie alone in an empty room.


	5. Chapter 5

Carrie barely had any warning before the door slammed shut right in her face. The room was dark save for the small amount of sunlight filtered in through the curtains, but even in the gloom, Carrie could tell that Sue's room was highly decorated and clean, which was only to be expected. It was much more personalized than Carrie's room had been.

While Carrie had thought she would be more calm by herself, she already found herself missing Sue's warm presence. The only other human being who knew she was alive. The only one who would _ever_ know her as she really was.

If she managed to find a new life, those people must never know about who she was or what she had done in Chamberlain. All of the people she'd killed with her...her power. It was an awful curse, really. Had she not had it, she would never have managed to massacre so many of the prom goers. She probably wouldn't have killed anyone, actually. She just would have run away and gotten hit by a car or something for not paying attention. The worst part? She wouldn't have cared.

Carrie sighed and tried to shoo the thoughts out of her head. She decided she'd glance over Sue's room to occupy her mind until Sue returned. She pushed the curtains aside to let more light in and looked around, smiling a little. The room was so obviously Sue's that it was almost painful. There were a few lamps, each with a different patterned shade, and abstract paintings lined the walls. All corners of the room were adorned with ribbon, posters, art, magazine clippings, and any and all things teenage girl.

Carrie felt a small pang looking around at Sue's room. She had never had any kind of influence on her own room; everything was her mom's choice there. Studying the room was fascinating; it was like looking into Sue's life, her _actual_ life, that was true and real and wasn't her public life. Carrie knew better than anyone that someone's public actions didn't define their personality. Sue had acted like a complete jerk at one point, but Carrie knew that wasn't who she was. That same girl who had thrown tampons at her, calling her a freak and demanding that she "plug it up", had just been sitting with her not five minutes ago, helping her through a panic attack. That said something about a person.

Carrie approached the mirror on Sue's dresser, almost scared to see what she looked like. Her face scrunched up with disgust as she took in her appearance; her hair was wild and ratty and she was covered in a fine layer of dirt. She was wearing a simple dress, one that must have survived the house's collapse, that her mother had made for her. It was torn in a couple places, probably from staying in the debris and the forest, but luckily didn't seem to be showing any intimate areas of skin.

Carrie would have to ask Sue if there was any way she could get clean. Her skin was dry and itchy and begging to be washed, but if she was not able to bathe, she would understand.

After that, Carrie just stood in the middle of the room, glancing around at whatever caught her interest. She didn't want to sit on the bed or touch anything for fear that she would make them dirty, and after the hospitality Sue had shown her, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

It was fifteen minutes before Sue managed to escape her parents and return to her room, where Carrie was still standing, isolated from any of Sue's belongings. Sue quickly shut the door behind her as she came in, then looked at Carrie with confusion.

"Have you been standing there the whole time?" she whispered, and Carrie nodded. Sue sighed and took Carrie's hand, then led her over to her bed and gently sat her down. "You're exhausted. I don't care about the sheets, okay? They can be washed."

Carrie looked up quickly. It was almost as if Sue had read her mind. Was she that easy to read? She supposed it didn't really matter; she was grateful for the bed now. "Thanks," she murmured softly, staring out the window.

Sue sat down beside her and leaned back on her elbows, gazing out at the backyard as well. "So...what was it like?" Sue asked quietly. "Did you just...wake up and blast your way out?"

Carrie shrugged. "Kind of. I didn't even know where I was at first. I broke the headstone by accident, and the casket, too. Once I realized I'd been buried, I...yeah, I b-blasted my way out." Carrie had never spoken about her telekinesis to anyone but her mother, and she found the experience to be rather unpleasant. She felt as if she'd been put on an dissection table in a science lab or something of the like to be torn apart and studied.

Sue didn't ask any more questions about it, though, and left the subject. It was obvious that it made Carrie uncomfortable, so she stopped. There was one thing she was curious about, though, and she wanted to ask before she forgot about it.

"That construction worker," Sue started. "Did you..." Carrie nodded, and Sue chuckled a little, looking down to try to hide her smile. "That was pretty good. He was being an ass, anyway. "

"I could tell," Carrie mused. "I couldn't understand him, but...I couldn't just let him shout and laugh at you like that. I don't know why he was doing it, and you don't have to tell me, but I know it sucks."

Sue took a deep breath and looked at Carrie. "You should know." Carrie waited patiently as Sue seemed to gather her nerves. "It's...a bit of a mixture of things. Part of it was because I still visited your grave when nobody else would. And the other part..." Sue gave up and shook her head, suddenly feeling too nervous to say it out loud, but Carrie had already guessed.

"What happened to the baby?" she inquired as gently as she could. Sue tensed, having forgotten that it was Carrie who had alerted her to the baby's presence in the first place. She knew. She could feel that the extra life was gone.

Sue kept staring out the window for a minute, thinking, then looked down. "Abortion," she whispered. When she felt Carrie's eyes still on her, she turned to glare at the girl. "I didn't want to kill her, okay?" Sue snapped, then lowered her voice again out of fear that her parents would hear them. "It...it would have been selfish to keep her. She wouldn't have a father. _I'm_ just a teenager. What kind of life would she have had?"

Carrie haltingly moved her hand to rest over Sue's. "I'm sorry," she murmured. Both girls were silent for a moment before Carrie continued, "You'll make a good mother one day."

Sue allowed herself a soft smile at Carrie. "You think so?"

Carrie nodded and smiled back. "Can't do worse than my mama, anyway." Sue looked away at this. She would never understand why Carrie claimed to love her mom so much all the way until the end, even after the woman had abused her and tried to kill her. It was something she didn't understand, but she wouldn't question it. Not directly. Carrie was still talking, anyway. "Did you give her a name?"

Sue's cheeks turned pink as she nodded hesitantly. "I named her Caroline Tamsin. Carey for short."

Carrie's face burned in a hot blush as she processed Sue's choice of a name. "A-after...me?" she asked, not wanting to make false assumptions. When Sue nodded, she added, "Why?"

Sue sighed. "You were - are - a good person. I'm convinced of that. When everyone thought you'd died...well, I guess I was the only one who really cared. Everyone could have learned something from you, but most chose not to. Call me crazy, but..." she trailed off and shook her head. "Even though we barely ever talked, especially in a friendly way, I..." she sighed again and covered her face with her hands. "I missed you more than most of my friends. I feel bad about it, but I don't at the same time, you know?"

When Carrie didn't reply, Sue removed her hands to look at her, frightened of what the other girl's reaction to the revealing news might be. She'd expected disgust or perhaps anger, but instead, Carrie just looked as if she were about to cry. Had Sue offended her somehow?

She was about to apologize when Carrie suddenly leaned over and hugged her. It was awkward, and it was obvious Carrie didn't have much experience with affection involving anyone but her mom, but Carrie felt it was necessary. "That w-was the nicest thing anyone's ever s-said to me," she whispered between small sniffles.

Sue was shocked, but when Carrie didn't make any move to let go of her, she gently wrapped one arm around her in return. After that, they both just sat there silently, enjoying each other's presence.

**A/N: Hope everyone's still liking it! I have to warn everybody, though; new chapters aren't going to happen every day anymore. I have a creative writing class to keep up with along with chorus and musical rehearsals and performances as well as scholarship applications. Updates aren't going to be consistent until spring break, but I'm going to write every chance I get. Again, thanks for any and all reviews, favorites, and follows! **


	6. Chapter 6

Carrie and Sue jumped at a sudden knock on the door, and while Carrie was practically frozen with fear, Sue managed to maneuver her off of the bed and onto the floor where the bed would block her from the door's view, all the while calling in the most casual voice she could summon, "Yeah, what is it?"

A man's slightly muffled voice sounded through the door, answering "Dinner's in five."

Sue acknowledged that she'd heard him, and then when she was sure he was gone, helped Carrie back onto the bed.

"Sorry about that," she whispered. "I'll try to bring something back for you. In the meantime, um..." Sue looked around. "There's, uh, the computer. And some books. If you get bored." She gestured toward the locations of the objects.

Carrie tilted her head. "Are you okay?" she asked. Sue nodded, though she appeared to be even more shaken than Carrie. In reality, she was terrified. Not only could Carrie have been caught if her father had opened the door, but she would have been caught with her arms around Sue.

Sue's parents were open-minded about a lot of things. She was positive that their daughter harboring a mass murderer in her room and, of all things, all but cuddling with her, would not be one of them.

First, they would turn Carrie in to the authorities, and who knew what they would do to her. Then, they'd stick her in a hospital for psychiatric help. She knew that nobody would ever understand Carrie as well as she did; nobody still alive, anyway.

Sue looked down for a moment. She'd probably deserve psychiatric help. Especially considering that the thought of something else bad happening to Carrie seemed worse than any mental institution they could have thrown her into.

Before Carrie could ask any more questions, Sue stood up and quickly left the room. All Carrie could do was stare after her for a minute before snapping herself out of it.

_Did she say I could use the computer?_

Carrie bit her lip. She was still nervous about doing anything in Sue's private, personal room, but she was curious. She wondered what the news reports of the prom incident looked like, how bad they were. Not as if she expected them to put her in a pleasant light, but she was still curious.

She slid off of the bed and made her way to the computer, lightly slipping into the seat and reached to boot up the technology. She was surprised to find that the computer was already on; Sue must have been using it before and neglected to turn it off. Nudging the mouse slightly, the screen lit up to reveal a word document full of text.

Carrie figured it was probably a paper for an English class or something, but she froze in her action to minimize the tab when a word in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

It was her name.

Why her name was in one of Sue's personal documents, she had no idea. She almost decided to leave it alone and keep private matters private, but she figured that if it was about her, she had the right to know. It couldn't hurt, right? Sue would never even know, anyway.

Carrie began at the beginning. It appeared to be a digital diary entry of sorts, and though she felt a guilty twinge in her stomach, she continued reading.

_The past few days have been hard, _it started._ I don't even know what to do anymore. Tommy's gone. Chris is gone. Billy and Tina and Heather and Nicki and Lizzy. All of them are dead. I didn't want this. It's all my fault, and there's nothing I can do to take it back. I was the one who pressured Tommy into asking Carrie to prom, and I should have known it wouldn't go the way I wanted it to. Nothing could have prepared me for this, though. _

_Carrie herself is dead. Ironic, isn't it? I watched her die. As much as I hate to admit it...it was worse seeing that than it was to see Tommy die. It's awful! He was my boyfriend, and I loved him; I did, and I still do. But Carrie was so helpless. She was just a scared little girl. It's like I told the judges in court; we pushed her too hard. Nobody can take that much abuse, and I am far more than ashamed that I'd taken part in any of it at all. I helped that. I hurt her over and over again, and the worst part is that more of it was of my own accord than when Chris was encouraging it. I was such an awful person! I still am, I guess. I never did anything to stop it until a week ago, and even then it was a weak attempt. Carrie needed to feel loved. She never had that. I don't think she even got love from her mother. Nobody's ever heard of her father, and I've never seen her with a friend._

_Why did I do something so horrible? Why didn't I leave Chris' side and go to Carrie's? Chris was a bitch. So was I, but I know I'll never be like that again. And I didn't want anyone to die, but I can't say that Chris wasn't asking for it. I just wish it wouldn't have panned out the way it had; she didn't have to die, and neither did any of the others if we would have all just kept our fat mouths shut. I'm the only one left to tell the tale. Part of me wishes that Carrie would have killed me as well, but that wouldn't have helped anything. It just would have added to her kill list. I know everybody thinks she's a monster. Why wouldn't they? What she did on prom night was horrifying. It made her seem inhuman._

_What I want everyone else to realize is that the angry girl covered in blood was not who Carrie White was. She was a person. She had feelings. She probably felt nothing but hatred and disgust toward her in every one of the seventeen years of her life. I wouldn't doubt if ugly people like Chris and I made her think that she was a freak herself._

_I wish I could take it back! i've never wanted anything more in my entire life and i_

_just want them back i want them ALL BACK! i want chris to have been a decent fucking human beign and i want carrie to be ok i want her to still be here so i could be her friend and help her and_

_im crying now. i guess ive been doing that a lot lately. i should stop writing before i give myself an aneurysm. one last thing, though: _

Carrie's eyes widened at the last small statement. No, that couldn't be right; this was a trick. A gross trick that Sue had planned. She must have known somehow that Carrie wasn't really dead and she...she...

Sue wouldn't do that. Not now. Carrie forced herself to relax and think. It wasn't the worst case scenario, was it? It could be worse. It was bad enough, though. Sue's grammar and spelling had completely disappeared, and Carrie hated that she'd felt so utterly upset over her. A lot of it must have been her deceased friends, yes, but...

After sitting still for several minutes, Carrie finally let the computer go to sleep again and wandered numbly back to Sue's bed, considering getting a book to pretend she was busy, but not finding herself capable of even acting like she was interested in something. The last line of Sue's document was burned into her mind like a brand.

_i think i might have loved carrie_


	7. Chapter 7

**Edit: Geeez, I didn't realize that the document was just a text wall! Sorry about that, guys!**

Carrie sat facing the window, her back to the door, and stared into the trees behind the Snell house as she waited. Sue would be back at any minute, and Carrie had to force herself to build up a mask. A poker face. She didn't realize how hard it would be to do so.

Sue had a problem. Carrie knew that a lot of what her mother had believed to be sin was not, but this...  
What _is_ this? She couldn't rightfully say it was wrong; she'd never even heard of it before. Could a girl even love another girl in that way? Was that even possible? Obviously it was, but Carrie wasn't sure why she'd never known that it happened.

Then again, she hadn't known what a period was until after she'd gotten her own.

She decided she'd give Sue a chance. Sue was her only friend - that was a nice thought, to have a friend - and the only person who could help her. She had to relax.

When Carrie heard the doorknob turning, though, she tensed, and all previous efforts to make herself look casual were rendered obsolete. She trained her eyes down at the floor, refusing to look up and make eye contact. She could see Sue walking around the bed and stopping just in front of her.

"Hey," Sue said softly. "I brought you some dinner."

Carrie didn't budge; she didn't even lift her eyes. "Not hungry," she said weakly.

Sue furrowed her brow and sat down next to her. "Are you alright? You seem...you're just kind of acting like I'm a stranger."

Carrie finally looked up at this, a bit of a glare shining in her eyes. "Aren't you?"

Sue was taken aback. Carrie hadn't been hostile at all earlier; what had changed while she was at dinner? Was it because she'd left the other girl alone? Sue's stomach knotted. It must have been the wrong move to leave her alone, even for twenty minutes. Did she have another panic attack?

Sue felt worry spread through her like wildfire. Carrie must hate her now, but that wasn't what bothered her; she wouldn't put it past Carrie to hate her, anyway. What worried her was that if she wasn't there to help Carrie if she left, she wouldn't have anyone to look after her.

It was a ridiculous notion, really. Sue took a deep breath and let it all out, trying hard to stop over thinking and actually ask rather than assume.

"What do you mean?" Sue asked, hoping for a simple explanation. Instead, she was thrown against the headboard by and invisible force and held there."C-Carrie?" she gasped.

"You _are_ a stranger!" Carrie exclaimed. "When have I _ever_ known you?" Sue opened her mouth to reply despite not knowing the answer, but Carrie was continuing anyway. "All you've ever been to me for the past seven years is hurtful! Abusive! And you think that just because you got me a date to prom and have me hidden here _probably for your own good _that it changes anything? No! I don't know you at all, Sue Snell. And don't you dare think otherwise."

Tears were streaming down both girls' faces now, and Carrie released Sue from her telekinetic grip at last. Carrie immediately felt remorse. What she had said was true, but she hadn't meant to be so snappy with Sue. She _especially_ hadn't meant to use her power on the other girl.

_What have I done?_

Carrie looked down at her hands, barely noticing how much they were trembling. She'd lost her temper. On her _friend_. The only friend she had.  
She couldn't even bring herself to apologize. She just backed away to the other side of the bed, one hand covering her mouth. Sue looked terrified, and for good reason.

"I'm so sorry, Carrie," Sue began in a shaky whisper, but she couldn't finish her thought before the bedroom door swung open to reveal Sue's parents. They looked scared, and Carrie only realized then that she had been yelling at Sue. _Yelling_. She hadn't been trying to conceal her voice at all.

As soon as Mr. and Mrs. Snell caught sight of Carrie, they turned white as sheets. It would have been comical had the situation not been so serious and tense. Carrie still hadn't been cleaned; she still looked as if she had literally crawled out of a grave.

Suddenly, Mr. Snell shot forward and grabbed Sue's arm, tugging it toward him. "Come on, Sue, we've got to get out of here," he said breathily. Sue tried to keep her position on the bed to tell her parents that it was alright and that they needed to let her explain, but she could not resist her father's strength and stumbled off of the bed.

"Wait!" Sue shouted, sounding desperate. "Hold on, you don't know what's going on!"

Sue's parents seemed to be deaf to Sue's pleas, though, and she was forced out of the bedroom by her father as her mom fumbled for her cell phone, presumably to call the authorities.

Carrie panicked and flicked her hand, ripping the phone out of Mrs. Snell's grasp and throwing it against the wall, where the screen cracked and went couldn't think over Mr. Snell's shouting and Sue's screaming to be let go of, and she instinctively pushed Sue's mother against the wall, keeping her immobile, while she stood in the doorway and quickly found Mr. Snell and Sue. She pushed her free hand forward, putting enough pressure on his wrist to make him release Sue, who after a moment of surprised hesitation ran toward Carrie.

Carrie almost collapsed under the force that hit her as Sue threw herself onto Carrie and hugged her close to her body. Carrie immediately let go of her hold on Sue's parents; she was scared and her senses were muddled with her brain on autopilot, but she felt safe enough in Sue's arms to release the threat. Without even thinking about her harsh words just minutes before, she turned her face into Sue's neck and cowered against her, trembling.

For the first time since Sue's parents had walked in, everything was still and silent. Both Mr. and Mrs. Snell were frozen in fear and confusion and Sue did not dare move as Carrie wet her shirt with tears.

Sue was the first to break the silence. "Please...before you do _anything_, just...let me explain," she said, glancing between her mom and dad.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Snell fumed, though he looked more scared for his daughter than angry. "That girl, she - she's a murderer! She killed your friends! She's not human. Get away from her right now, Sue. I don't want you to get hurt."

Sue shook her head, looking almost as terrified as her parents. "No," she said decidedly. "She _is_ human. But look at her!" Sue gestured toward Carrie's dirt-covered form, covered by her torn casual dress. "Those people at the funeral home didn't do anything with her! They didn't even check to make sure she was _dead_," she continued, "and she came to me when she woke up. Don't you understand? She's scared shitless!"  
Sue's parents were astonished; Sue had never spoken to them in such a way. She didn't stop there, though.

"She's not proud of what she did, okay? I know she's not. Didn't you notice how she was using that power just now? It was controlled! She's not going to hurt anyone else."

Mr. and Mrs. Snell didn't even know how to respond to that. Their daughter was speaking like a lunatic in their eyes, and they just wanted Carrie to be dead and back in the grave she'd come from.

They were shocked, though, when Carrie carefully peeled herself off of Sue and glanced up at her for a moment, still crying silently. "They're right," she whispered, her voice mangled with hurt and fear and sadness. "I c-could hurt you. I could hurt a-anybody."

Carrie took slow, shaky steps toward Sue's dad, shuffling to a stop directly in front of him. "Do whatever you want with me," she breathed heavily. She was staring down at her feet, petrified of what might happen next, and didn't see the rolling pin coming down hard on her head.


	8. Chapter 8

Carrie came to in a room so dark that she felt as if she were completely blind. She felt dizzy and her head ached, waves of pain pulsing and rippling to one spot on the back of her skull. _What happened?_

She couldn't remember. She remembered a fight of some sort, and she remembered Sue's arms wrapped protectively around her as she cried, but she didn't remember a thing after that.

Carrie tried to sit up and move around to see if she could figure out where she was, but she found her arms and legs bound to the chair she was sitting on by thick metal bands, and after struggling against them, she realized that her chest was held down as well.

Carrie felt panic surge through her and focused her energy on the metal, using her power to beat at it and to try to rip it off of her body, but it didn't even dent.

"H-hello?" she called, her voice weak and timid at first but quickly growing in volume. "Help! Please help me!" She didn't know why she thought her cries would summon help, but she kept screaming until her voice was hoarse and her throat burned like fire.

* * *

Sue sat against her closed door with her face buried in her hands. She shook with silent sobs though her tears had run out long ago

The scene kept replaying over and over again in her head, making her more angry and anxious each time.

_Sue screamed as the rolling pin hit Carrie. She ran to the other girl's side as she crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Sue dropped to her knees and shook Carrie by her shoulders, urging her with a panicked voice to get up._

_Carrie never moved. Sue couldn't even tell whether or not she was breathing, but her father pushed her away before she could check. He backed her into her room through her kicking and screaming, then shut the door and locked it behind him._

Sue had pounded her fists against the door for an hour, begging to know what was going on, but she never got an answer. Eventually, she'd just slid her back down the door and curled into a tight ball, utterly defeated. Her heart ached to know what had become of Carrie, but her mind kept suggesting the worst.

_She's dead, isn't she? I just got her back; we were both given a second chance and now she's...d-dead..._

_And my parents killed her._

If Carrie was really dead, sue would never forgive her parents. If Carrie was dead, the poor girl would never get that second chance she was meant to have.

If Carrie was dead, if Sue had lost her for the second time in a week, she didn't know if she'd be able to go on.

She'd keep living, sure. She'd have to. But would she really be able to function? She had been unsure before, but after experiencing such a miracle as she had that day, she knew.

_I'm in love with Carrie White._

_I'm in love with a dead girl._

Even in the event that she wasn't literally dead, Carrie White was dead for all intents and purposes. All of three people knew that she wasn't (_If she really still wasn't_, Sue's mind butted in) and the girl had been raised under her mother's Hitler-like Christian mindset, so there was no way she'd even be okay with knowing about Sue's feelings. If she knew, she'd probably just run away.

Sue sighed and rubbed her eyes, her face swollen and puffy after crying, and looked around her room with a new steely resolution. There had to be something she could do. She couldn't just sit there like a bump on a log while Carrie was in danger.

Was there anyone she could trust to help her? Her friends were out of the question; she didn't even have any of those left. Her parents obviously were not on Carrie's side. Sue scoured her memory for anyone who might be able to help, and she almost came up blank - but suddenly she remembered one woman who might lend her assistance.

Mrs. Desjardin. Of _course!_ Ever since the shower incident, Mrs. Desjardin was the only person who gave Carrie any sort of care. She had tried to protect Carrie from as much as she could have, and despite the events that had taken place on prom night, Sue had no doubt in her mind that the gym teacher would be her best bet.

Sue couldn't wait any longer. She'd already waited long enough, and she wanted to get help as soon as she can. She slowly uncurled herself and got to her feet to make her way to the window. She spared a glance back at her closed bedroom door, then began to open the window as quietly as she could. She silently thanked her parents for forgetting to have screens put in the windows as she threw first one, then the other leg over the sill and dropped onto the soft green grass under the window.

Luckily, Sue knew exactly where Mrs. Desjardin lived. She'd passed by the teacher several times on weekend trips to the store, and had even seen her in her drive before, so Sue knew where she was going.

As Sue walked, she prayed that her parents wouldn't notice she was missing and call the police. The last thing she needed was to be hunted down by the police, especially after harboring the closest thing to a fugitive there was. Sue pressed her palm to her forehead and gritted her teeth._ What has happened to my life?_

After fifteen straight minutes of walking, Sue finally made it to Mrs. Desjardin's street and felt a huge wave of relief when she saw both of her cars parked in the driveway. She jogged the rest of the way to the door and rang the bell, then sat back and waited, albeit impatiently.

When the door finally opened to reveal Mrs. Desjardin, Sue immediately began babbling incoherently, too caught up in things to think long enough to explain decently.

"Sue? Sue, please calm down," Mrs. Desjardin said, thoroughly confused. "Can you start from the beginning? What did your parents do to make you come here?"

Sue took a deep breath and looked Mrs. Desjardin straight in the eye. "Carrie White is alive. And as cliché as it sounds, I need your help."

Mrs. Desjardin glared at Sue, clearly biting back a sharp retort. "Don't you think it was bad enough making fun of her when she was alive? This is a disgusting thing to joke about, Sue, and I'm surprise at you with the way you've been visiting-"

"I'm not joking!" Sue cried desperately. Her voice was so full of raw emotion that it stopped Mrs. Desjardin in her tracks and she studied Sue's face, frowning.

"Have you been crying?"

Sue ignored the question and continued. "She came to me after school today. I was helping her; she really, really needed it. You understand why we couldn't just tell people she was back, right? I...I-I accidentally...I don't know, I guess I set something off somehow, but Carrie was yelling at me a-and my parents heard. They..."

The tears were forming again, and Sue quickly swiped her hand over her eyes, trying to focus on talking rather than crying. "They fought. Carrie didn't hurt them, I swear! She was defensive; you know her. B-but they convinced her she would hurt more people...that she would hurt me. She..." Sue shook her head, stifling the tears as best she could. "She told them to do whatever they wanted with her a-and...and m-my mom...h-hit her over the head with a r-rolling pin," she gasped, unable to hold her emotions back any more. "My dad locked me in my room and I don't know what happened to Carrie. Please, Mrs. Desjardin, you have to help me!"

Mrs. Desjardin stared at Sue with wide but wary eyes, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Sue...is all of this true?"

Sue shook her head. "Why would I lie?"

Mrs. Desjardin hesitated, then nodded. "I'll help. Give me one second; we'll go back to your place in my car."

**A/N: Ask and you shall receive, anon! I'm not going to take all requests, but that one just happened to work really well with what I was doing. I'm sorry for the longer wait than normal, but things have been a little rough lately and I really wasn't feeling the whole writing thing. Hope you guys enjoy the update anyway!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Adrenaline was pounding hard through Carrie's veins as she continued to hack away at the metal bands restraining her. Try as she might, though, nothing gave way. She just sat in the dark room, sending wave after wave of telekinetic power until she was suddenly blinded by a bright white light that flooded the entire area.

Carrie squeezed her eyes shut against the painful new light; it was the brightest she had ever seen indoors. Still unable to see, she strained her ears as she captured and recognized the sound of footsteps.

"Who's there?" she called, willing her voice not to waver. She tried to sound confident and demanding, but the words came out scratchy and broken, marred by all of the screaming she'd been doing before.

The newcomer (newcomers?) ignored the question, though, and a strong authoritative voice rang out to her. "Don't bother struggling," the voice said airily. It was a man's voice. "Those braces are made out of tungsten," he continued. "There's no getting through that."

Carrie finally eased her eyes open, already glaring in the direction of the voice. She could make a tall well-built figure: the speaker. Another man stood behind him, the unmistakable form of Sue's father. As Carrie's eyes adjusted to the light, she could see the features of the stranger's face. He looked to be fifty or so, and he looked to be rather handsome for his age. He had short salt-and-pepper hair; he was dressed in slacks and something similar to a doctor's coat.

Carrie did not give him the chance to speak again before pushing him up against the wall behind him. She then felt mild confusion and disappointment when he only looked slightly startled rather than scared. She didn't change her hard glare, though, as she held him in place.

"Who are you and where am I?" she growled.

The man grinned. "You seem rather upset! I was told you submitted to Mr. Snell. Gave right in and gave yourself up!"  
Carrie's resolve wavered. That was true; she had told Sue's parents to do whatever they wanted with her, but she'd expected death or jail, not _this. _What even _was_ this?

Carrie mentally thrust her power out and began to close off the man's throat. "Answer me," she commanded.

"Careful, dearie," the man wheezed, still wearing the same manic expression. "Without me, you'll never get out of there."

Carrie saw the malicious glint in his eye, and she knew. This man hated her, just like everyone else in Chamberlain and beyond, and he was delighted at the chance to have Carrie White wrapped around his little finger.

Carrie didn't know how to respond to his statement, though, and released him with a sigh. "_Please_, just tell me what I'm doing here," Carrie begged softly. "Why am I not in jail?" She didn't mention the option of death; for some reason, that didn't seem quite as appealing as it normally did. She didn't think she could trust the strange man not to actually attempt to kill her.

He stepped away from the wall and brushed himself off haughtily. "My name is David Nolan, and you are here to be psychically tested. Don't expect me to go easy on you; after all, my son_ was_ one of your...victims. You will be paid your dues."  
Nolan. _Billy Nolan_. _That _was this man's son. Chris' boyfriend. The boy who had helped dump blood on her and triggered the entire massacre.

Anger reared its ugly head inside Carrie, as well as fear. She hadn't had any idea what Billy's dad did for a living, but she thought it would have been far from this. She assumed he was a scientist of some sort. If he was, then he knew exactly what he was doing. She hoped feverishly that he wouldn't hurt her too badly. The thought held no hope, however, because she was sure Mr. Nolan wouldn't hold back. It didn't even matter; she knew she deserved whatever happened to her. It was just a fact she would have to face until she either escaped or died.

She was betting on the latter.

Carrie hung her head and closed her eyes. It still felt like someone was repeatedly hammering her head, and she was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to curl up at home and sleep, but she didn't have a home anymore. She didn't have anything anymore. She didn't even have Sue.

Heat filled Carrie's face as she felt tears making their return. She had cried quite a bit in the past twenty-four hours, but she hadn't felt so hopeless as she did then. Her body shook with silent sobs, longing for somebody friendly. Anybody.

No, that wasn't true. It was Sue she wanted. _Sue. _

None of this would have happened if she would have kept her voice down! Or if she hadn't blown her top at Sue at all! She had overstepped her bounds, again, and she was going to pay for it. She deserved it, but she didn't want it.

Carrie gasped when she felt the sharp sting of a hand suddenly connecting with her face and Mr. Nolan's harsh voice telling her to stop crying. It only made her cry more, though, and made her feel more empty. She felt _so _empty.

Mr. Nolan only slapped her again and again until her cries subsided and she was left in the chair, utterly broken. She did not fight back. She didn't complain. She did not even dare to hold any semblance of hope in her mind. There was nothing left. There was nothing left.

Only pain.

Emptiness.

* * *

Sue still felt sick to her stomach as she sat in Mrs. Desjardin's car outside her house, waiting. The teacher had insisted that she stay there while she went in to talk to her parents about Carrie. She'd knocked on the door and then been let in, and she hadn't emerged for nearly forty-five minutes.

When Mrs. Desjardin finally came back out, she was accompanied by Mrs. Snell. Sue watched as Mrs. Desjardin got back into the driver's seat and, to her confusion, her mother got in as well.

"What's going on?" Sue asked, looking between Mrs. Desjardin and her mother. The two women exchanged a glance and Mrs. Snell answered hesitantly.

"We're going to take you to the place your dad took Carrie, okay?" she said.

Sue let out the breath she had involuntarily been holding and closed her eyes. "She's alive, then," she whispered to herself. "Thank God." In a louder voice, she added, "Is she okay? She's not, like, in the hospital or anything, is she?"

"Not exactly," Mrs. Snell replied, "but she's fine. For now."

**A/N: Sorry for the wait (again)! It's probably going to take about this long for new chapters from now on with everything I have going on, but I'm trying!**


	10. Chapter 10

Sue looked out the car window anxiously as they drove. She wondered where they could have Possibly taken Carrie, but knowing her father, whom she assumed was the one to do it, he had quite a few tricks up his sleeve. He was popular in town, as was her mother, and rather influential.

Sue watched as houses and stores whirred by, over and over, until they reached city limits. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion; there wasn't much outside of town; in fact, the next town was pretty far away, and she wasn't even sure there was anything worthwhile there.

Her confusion grew when the car took a turn into the forest, rather than staying on the path toward the next town. "Where are we going?" she asked. "What's out here?"

She didn't get an immediate reply; all she saw was her mother glancing up at Mrs. Desjardin, who didn't take any notice. "Guys?" she pushed, glancing between the two women.

"You'll see," Mrs. Desjardin said, her voice oddly detached. She sounded unfocused, and it scared Sue. What was going on? Instead of questioning it, though, she reverted back to her pensive silence. She had no choice but to trust them.

After traveling down several dirt roads, a building finally came into view. It was large, but the surrounding forest kept it hidden from view until they were driving directly toward it. She squinted at the building, straining to see a sign of some sort telling what it was called, but she didn't see one.

Sue studied the outside of the building, trying to put her finger on what it might be for. It looked almost like an office building, but instead of brick or concrete, the walls were a glossy white, like painted metal. The windows were tinted so dark that Sue couldn't see a single thing inside, and the entire place had a sterile look to it.

Sue didn't like it. The building gave her a strange feeling of dread and unease. She had to go in, though; she had to get Carrie.

Mrs. Desjardin parked and stayed in the car while Sue and Mrs. Snell climbed out.

"What is this place?" Sue asked, trying once more for an answer. She hadn't expected her mother to actually give her one, though.

"It's an institution," Mrs. Snell replied flatly.

_For the mentally ill, _Sue finished in her head. Her father had taken Carrie to a mental hospital. _That poor girl_, she thought. Of _course_ Carrie wasn't completely mentally stable, but this place looked awful. What Carrie needed was some tender loving care. A home, a family who didn't hate her, friends. That was all she needed. Why didn't people understand that?

_Probably because they don't love her like you do,_ her mind answered. And it was true; she was sure nobody would ever love Carrie like she did. It was sad to think about, but it was true.

Sue sighed and walked alongside her mother to the twin front doors of the institution. The doors were solid with no windows; the opposite of warm and welcoming. She shivered as she opened one and stepped in, a wave of cold air chilling her skin.

The inside of the institution was just as lifeless as the outside. A couple of patients sat in the waiting room, both looking dazed. Mindless. A stout, portly woman stood behind the front desk, seemingly the only staff in the room, and watched Sue and Mrs. Snell with beady eyes as they drew closer.

Before they reached the desk, Mrs. Snell stopped and turned to Sue. "Stay here; I'll talk," she said shortly.

Sue did as her mother asked, and strained to hear the conversation from where she was standing. She couldn't make out what either woman was saying, though, over a television playing in the upper corner of the room.

After several minutes passed, Mrs. Snell stepped away from the desk and led Sue to an unoccupied sofa in the waiting room. They sat down, and Sue curled in on herself internally. She felt beyond uncomfortable, and she could sense that everyone else in the room knew it.

Sue let out a sigh of relief when a young man came in and called the Snells' names. She hadn't known how much more of the somber environment she could take. She didn't expect it to be much better further into the building, but at least she didn't have to sit still anymore.

The man led them through winding hallways as well as several staircases before finally coming to a halt in front of a door. Sue felt faint flutters in her stomach at the thought of seeing Carrie again after such a scare. She could not wait to see Carrie alive and well, even in a place like this.

When the door was opened, though, the room was empty save for a plain white bed, a small wooden desk and chair, and a television.

"Wait...where's Carrie?" Sue asked, looking rapidly between the attendant and Mrs. Snell.

"I'm sorry, honey," Mrs. Snell said, and Sue's heart sank.

"Mom?" she whispered, her voice laced with fear. "Mom, what...what do you mean, 'you're sorry'?"

Sue took a step back as Mrs. Snell took one toward her, and the woman sighed. "This is for your own good, Sue. You're attached to a...a killer. You have to stop thinking like that."

"Mom, I-She's better!" Sue cried, feeling hot tears form in the corners of her eyes. "She wouldn't hurt anyone..." she trailed off. "Where _is she?_"

Mrs. Snell stayed silent and gazed at her daughter with pity. "I don't know," she said, "and it doesn't matter now. She's gone from your life."

"No..." Sue shook her head, eyes wide. Mrs. Desjardin had never wanted to help her; she just thought she was crazy! And maybe she was, but that didn't change anything about Carrie.

So, it was still unknown whether or not Carrie was actually okay. It was still unknown as to whether or not she was even still alive.

"No..." Sue whispered again, horrified. She really was on her own. Her mother and Mrs. Desjardin were against her. They had been from the start. Neither of them cared about Carrie, not at all.

Sue's eyes grew hard. "I'm not staying here," she said. "I'm eighteen; you can't make me."

It was a childish, immature way to put it, but she refused to be tagged as insane and kept here while who-know-what happened to Carrie. She wouldn't stand for it.

Sue tried to sidestep her mother to leave, but she shifted to block her path and placed a gentle hand on her chest. "You're under my care, Sue," Mrs. Snell said softly, her expression creased with worry. "This is for your own safety. At least until I can be sure Carrie White is gone."

Sue stared as Mrs. Snell pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I really am sorry. I'll come visit whenever I can, okay?"

She was too stricken to reply. She just let the attendant back her further into the room. "I'll send someone in to give you a tentative daily and weekly schedule," he told her. Then both her mother and the attendant were gone, and she was left alone in a room once more.

**A/N: You all thought it was taking a turn for the better, didn't you? There is going to be a lot more angst and sadness than you all probably originally thought! Also, I have big news. I spoke to my creative writing teacher today, and considering the fact that this fic is longer than my novella project, I was allowed to officially make THIS my novella! I no longer have to worry about that assignment and updates will be more frequent than planned :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Carrie didn't know how long she had been in the cold metal chair. The room was windowless and she had no sense of time; Mr. Nolan and Mr. Snell could have left her a day ago or a week ago; she didn't know. She'd fallen asleep soon after they'd left, and though she'd slept an entire day away before, this felt different. She felt drowsy beyond belief, as if she'd slept for days. She figured the emotional stress had done a huge number.

Carrie flinched as the door opened and the blinding white light streamed in once again. It didn't hurt as badly this time.

"Rise and shine, Miss White!" Mr. Nolan's voice was falsely cheery. "It's time to begin your testing. Are you excited?"

Carrie glowered at the man, refusing to utter a single word.

"You should be," Mr. Nolan continued matter-of-factly. "You're going to be the first telekinetic to be recorded for legal purposes. Or at all, really. That really should be exciting, don't you think?" He continued after another period of silence from Carrie. "Ah, well. We can't please everyone. Nonetheless, you must take the tests. No avoiding those.

"Here, now." Mr. Nolan approached Carrie and, to her surprise, withdrew a key and used it to undo the tungsten clasps holding her in place. She twisted her wrists and took a deep breath, glad that her limbs were finally loose after being stuck in one position for so long.

Mr. Nolan took a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket and looked at Carrie expectantly. She could run. Carrie could make a break for it; there was nothing holding her back. With her power, she could assure she wouldn't be followed.

But Carrie obediently remained still, willingly holding her wrists out to be cuffed.

"No struggle, huh?" Mr. Nolan inquired. "I figured as much. It makes my job a lot easier, anyway. I'm sure that after that _grave_ you were buried in, this place is like a palace."

It was true that Carrie would not put up a struggle, but not for the reasons the man had listed.

_I deserve this. I deserve this and I can't hurt anybody else. I've hurt enough people._

Carrie wanted to spit in his face for being so rude, but she couldn't bring herself to do something so defiant. He had broken her from the very beginning, and much like a wild mustang who had been broken, she would not fight back.

She allowed him to kick her into motion, steering her by the arm. She had never seen anything outside the isolated room before, and she wondered where it was that she was actually being held. She couldn't imagine there were many options, considering the probability of all of this being legal. Then again, Mr. Nolan had said she was being tested for "legal purposes". The government must have approved it, as vile as it was.  
_That means I'm stuck here no matter what, _Carrie thought, then sighed and shook her head to herself. _I deserve it._

Outside the room was a long corridor, bathed completely in glossy white paint that reflected the powerful light everywhere. They followed the main hallway, passing more side-routes than Carrie could keep track of, before turning into one themselves. It sloped downward at a steep angle and led to a single giant metal door.

Carrie could only stand and watch as Mr. Nolan typed a passcode into a pad on the wall and the door began to fold open, allowing a huge berth. It reminded Carrie of a larger version of a garage door.

The room behind the door was huge. It stretched on for what looked like two football fields in one direction, with a width of maybe fifty yards. An array of objects were lined against one wall, and directly across from the on the opposite wall were targets.

Carrie followed Mr. Nolan soundlessly to the station closest to the door, consisting only of a thumbtack on a table.

"So," Mr. Nolan said loudly. "You are to use your telekinesis to pick up this tack and hit the target with it. You will do the same process for each of the items along this wall. They will increase in weight and surface area. This is to test the limits of your power."

It sounded easy enough to Carrie, but with the amount of objects lined at the side of the room, it would take much longer than she would hope. Wanting to get it over with quickly, she promptly hurled the thumbtack at the opposite wall, easily sticking it to the dead center of the target.

The next object was a pencil, then a stone. Carrie tore through the first fifty or so items in about an hour without breaking a sweat, Mr. Nolan present all the while to record results. After that, though, it began to get difficult.

The car was the first thing she struggled with. It had been easier on the night of prom, when she had been fueled on by anger. Now, though, she was tired, tired of everything. It took several seconds to lift all four wheels off of the floor, and the push that was required to send it across the room left her winded. The car hit the target on the wall and bent the front in, but did not even crack the windshield.

Carrie let Mr. Nolan guide her to the next station, then gave herself a minute to catch her breath before turning all of her attention to the object in front of her. It was a bundle of very thick, solid concrete columns. The bundle was as tall as her and three times as wide, and she did not even want to try, but she began anyway.

Carrie tried to lift the concrete, but it wouldn't budge. It put a strain on her mind to be concentrating so intensely with no payout. She took a deep breath, then pushed harder. She felt the bundle move slightly, but it was nowhere near enough to get it across the room to the target.  
After a couple of minutes, Carrie broke off from her attempts, breathing heavily with fatigue. Her head felt as if it were about to split in half. "I-I can't do it," she breathed. Mr. Nolan only shook his head and pointed his pen at the concrete.

"You have to do it," he said. "You have no choice. I know you can do it if you try."

Carrie clutched her head with one hand. She wanted to break down and cry, but with a heavy heart, she straightened herself and started again. _I deserve it,_ she thought.

Carrie clenched her eyes closed and forced herself to put all of her energy into lifting the bundle of concrete. She felt one end of it lift slightly under her power, but no more than an inch. She took another deep breath and pushed harder than she had ever managed before. The blast of power was accompanied by Carrie's desperation, the only reason she was able to lift the weights at all.

Grunting and letting the beginnings of tears fall down her cheek, she used all of the strength she had to lift it an entire foot and fling it at the wall.  
The concrete never hit the wall, but Carrie did not even see it land hard on the floor. Her head was pounding so hard that it began to go numb, and her vision was blurry. In less than a second, she had fallen to the floor, unconscious.

**A/N: Yes, sorry for the plot twist! Not really, though. I didn't think it was even really a plot twist until you all started being optimistic about it xD Anywho, enjoy! Reviews are alllllways welcome!**


	12. Chapter 12

It hurt to breathe. It hurt to do anything, really. Each miniscule movement slammed the hammer into Carrie's head again and again, and she had only just woken up. She felt nauseous, and she was so mentally drained that she barely remembered to breathe at all. She was back in the uncomfortable metal chair, but to her relief, she seemed to be alone. All she could bring herself to do was let her head hang down, too weak to form the simplest of thoughts.

* * *

Sue felt utterly lost. She'd been so shocked that she hadn't even been able to fight back, to convince her mother that she was wrong. That she needed to find Carrie. Sue knew that Carrie could very well be dead, but this time she refused to let herself be convinced of that. Carrie had to be alive somewhere, well or not, but she had to be alive. After all, if she could survive a house collapsing onto her, she could survive anything. Right?

Sue knew it was wishful thinking. Carrie was already vulnerable after being buried for three days, and she didn't want to think about what might happen if the girl were to enter another coma. Deep down, she knew that there was little chance Carrie would ever wake up from it.

Sue was scared. She was scared of Carrie's fate, and she was, in all honesty, scared of the institution. She was scared of the other patients and she was afraid of the emotionless attendants.

_I have to get out of here._

Not only was the place terrifying, but Sue felt useless. The longer she sat on that uncomfortable bed, the worse off Carrie might be. Despite the fact that the institution was, in fact, an institution, its entries didn't seem to be guarded at all. Sue thanked God for that; had there been much security, she would have no chance of escaping.

Of course, as soon as she found Carrie and helped her get out of town at least, she would probably be admitted right back into the institution. Sue decided that was a consequence she would be willing to take if it meant Carrie would be alright. Carrie was all she had left, and even if she never got to see her again, knowing she was safe would be enough for Sue.

So, Sue developed a plan. She'd already been given a daily schedule, and she employed it as a tool to aid in her escape. She studied it for a good thirty minutes, etching the times into her brain before lights-out, which was enforced at nine o'clock.

A note at the bottom of the schedule gave her hope. It read: _New patients will be given a tour of the hospital the day following their arrival._

Sue would have to use that time to memorize as much of the layout of the building as she could. Each daily event on the schedule was confined to one room of the institute; patients were not allowed to leave during that time period unless an attendant escorted them back to their rooms early.

When nine o'clock came, Sue was ready. She laid down on the stale mattress, nervous but determined to make the next day go in her favor. She fell asleep with the cool conviction that no matter what, she would make sure Carrie was okay.

Sue was stiff when she was awoken by an attendant, a different one from the previous day's. The first thought that entered her head was her plan. All she had to do was get dressed, and then the attendant would lead her down to breakfast, and after that the tour would start.

The institute was exactly what Sue thought it would be. All twisting hallways and dark rooms. The cafeteria was the biggest room, and it actually was protected by security. She assumed it had something to do with sharp silverware.

A few other rooms looked promising; the lobby, laundry room, and cafeteria each had a door that seemed to lead outside. She began to plot out her escape around those three rooms.

She would have access to the lobby only when she was being visited. Seeing as how she had no idea when her parents would be visiting and visiting hours were only during the daylight, she left it as a last resort.

Laundry day was on Friday, and Sue was wary about that fact. It was only Tuesday, and she was loathe to wait four more days before even trying to leave. Carrie was a constant factor in her plan, and she was afraid that if she waited too long, Carrie would be in more trouble than she needed to be.

The cafeteria, despite the security, seemed to be her best bet. The room was spacious, and filled with long tables. She would have access to it at eight in the morning, noon, and at seven at night every day. There was one door that led outside, and though it didn't seem to be locked, there was one man guarding it. She would have to get him out of the way somehow.

Sue thought long and hard, and gradually formed plan after plan, each one slightly better than the previous one. After she had built on one until it seemed to be the most solid idea she could think of, she ran through it over and over again in her head, willing herself to memorize every detail.

During lunch and dinner, Carrie began to push everything into motion. She came to find out that she wasn't the only sane person in the institute; a lot of patients had problems that didn't make them act out, such as depression or severe OCD. Most of those patients were about her age, and had also been admitted by their parents.

Sue learned about them; most were eager to share with a new face. She even started to become friends with one or two people, and those were the people she shared her own story with. She reached out to them, and they agreed to help. She was beyond thankful that they were willing to get into trouble for her, and when she asked if they would be punished badly, they simply said that it would be their first infraction; not a big deal in a place like that.

Sue thanked her new friends, and they decided to make their move during dinner the next day.

When the time came, Sue was so nervous that she was sure it was obvious she was up to something. The attendant that came to escort her to dinner, though, never said a word. He seemed just as loathe to be there as she did; she assumed that he just didn't care.

Sue ate slowly and carefully, trying to eat without throwing her already nauseous stomach for a loop. When the signal came, however, it was all too easy to abandon her tray.

The yell came from the other side of the cafeteria. _"Hey, asshole!"_ Sue knew that it was Maria, one of the girls she had met the previous day, and she also knew that an entire tray of food had been thrown at another patient.

The noise increased, and Sue heard the scraping of chairs as people began standing, either to see the spectacle or to get involved. She side-glanced the exit, which she had purposely situated herself close to, and watched out of the corner of her eye as the security guard rushed to the other side of the room where the fight was taking place.

With everyone distracted, it wasn't hard for Sue to slip out of the door. For a moment, she stood outside, listening for an alarm. Much to her relief, one never went off.

Desperate to get as far away from the institute as she possibly could, Sue delved into the forest, not even sparing a thought for the direction she was headed.

**A/N: Hey everybody, sorry it's been so long! I had a bit of a dry spell. Oh, and guest reviewer: One of those things has already been planned on. Maybe not now, but later on. I won't say which, though! That is for me to know and for you to find out ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

The forest was bigger than Sue would have thought. It stretched on for miles, and in the panic that she was, she had no idea where she was heading. She could be on her way back to Chamberlain, the neighboring town, or somewhere completely different. She knew she had to stick to the trees, though; if people came to look for her, it would be all too easy to find her on the road.

She'd been walking for what must have been an hour before she suddenly stopped. What was she _doing_? She'd just run away from a mental hospital, which was probably illegal, and for what? To find Carrie? She had no idea where Carrie even was! The only person who would know for sure was her father, and there was no way he would tell her. At this point, she couldn't trust anybody. Not even her own family.

The thought made Sue feel sick to her stomach. Her family used to be her strong point; they were the ones that were there for her through everything. Now, though, they'd pegged her as crazy without even trying to understand. And here she was, alone in a forest, lost and longing for a small blonde girl with telekinetic powers.

Sue looked down and sighed. The only thing she could do was keep moving. She had to at least find some sort of civilization, or she'd never get anywhere.

So, she trekked on. She walked for hours without finding a road, and not long after darkness fell like a soft blanket, she couldn't go on. She'd never been afraid of the dark, but in a forest with no shelter and no companion, it was terrifying. She didn't know what animals lurked there, or if any of them were dangerous.

She was tired, though, and forced herself to sit down with her back against a large tree. In the silence, she immediately heard a dozen unidentifiable noises, and her breath caught. This was the creatures' domain, and she was nothing more than an intruder.

Sue wanted to cry. She'd been crying a lot lately, and once she started, she couldn't seem to stop. So, she did cry; she cried until the world disappeared and she was lulled into an exhausted slumber.

* * *

Carrie had no more than an hour before the heavy door opened again and Mr. Nolan strode in, the door slamming behind him and sending lancing pain through Carrie's head. She didn't move when prompted; she couldn't.

She managed to raise her head slightly, though, when Mr. Nolan firmly gripped her arm and flipped it upside down. He'd been talking the whole time but she hadn't really noticed. She blinked fuzzily when the man withdrew a syringe from his coat pocket and began situating it at the soft skin of Carrie's underarm.

"What...w-what's...that?" she asked weakly. It wasn't as if it mattered; she wouldn't be able to fight against it, anyway. Mr. Nolan answered, though, and it took all of her concentration to comprehend his words.

"Steroids," he said. "You obviously hit the extent of your power yesterday; of course, protocol says you must finish every test before I get to do whatever I want with you."

"I'll...f-feel better?" Carrie breathed, looking up at Mr. Nolan with the pitiful look of a beaten puppy hoping to be rescued.

Mr. Nolan shrugged. "Mentally? Yes. Physically, I'm not so sure. I don't really care, either, as long as you're fit to complete testing."

Carrie sighed, flinching slightly as the needle slipped into her arm and Mr. Nolan released the liquid into her bloodstream.

It felt strange; it was as if she could feel it pulsing through her arm for a second before the sensation blended in. It didn't take long for the serum to take effect, and before Mr. Nolan had even finished sterilizing the equipment, she already felt stronger. She was still in pain, but it was becoming easier to lift her head and to focus.

"Now, then," Mr. Nolan said suddenly. "Let's resume testing, shall we?"

* * *

Sue awoke to the baying of dogs. It was still dark, so she couldn't have slept long, and she bolted upright immediately. She scrambled to her feet, ready to run if she had to; the dogs sounded close, but she didn't know whether or not they were wild. Even if they were, she wouldn't be able to outrun them.

Even so, she did want to run, but she was frozen in place. The dogs were getting closer and closer, and she couldn't even move as they burst through the undergrowth of the forest.

Sue closed her eyes and instinctively threw her hands in front of her for defense, but the dogs never hit her. She hesitantly opened her eyes to see two Labradors, held back by leashes. She slowly ran her eyes up the leashes to the people holding them, and winced. Policemen.

And, behind them, her mother and a man she didn't recognize. Her mom looked as if she had been on the verge of tears, and as soon as Sue came into focus, she left the policemen and ran to her daughter, pulling her into a tight hug.

After explaining herself falsely, claiming she just wanted to get away from the institution, she was led back to where everyone had left their vehicles. Before Sue climbed into the passenger seat, though, her mother slid between her and the car, blocking her path.

"Sue, honey, I'm so sorry," she said pleadingly, as if begging for forgiveness. "I won't...I won't make you go back to the institution. I'll just keep an eye on you at home; that should-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but may I request that Miss Snell has an appointment with one of our therapists before you discharge her? It will, at the very least, give her someone to talk to."

"Oh-yes, I suppose that couldn't hurt," Mrs. Snell said.

Sue looked between the two adults for a moment. "Sorry," she said to the man, "but who are you?"

Mrs. Snell shot her a rough glance at the tone of her voice, but the man just smiled and held out his hand. "Michael Nolan, co-owner of the institution."

**A/N: Okay, sorry it's kind of short! I'm running out of ideas for fillers; this has to be at least 30,000 words long to fit my creative writing assignment, so I don't want to cut straight to the point.**

**And, just in case anybody asks, I did not change Mr. Nolan's first name, and no, he's not in two places at once. David and Michael are brothers, hence "co-owners".**


	14. Chapter 14

_I can't. I can't do this; I _can't!

Carrie shook her head at Mr. Nolan without making eye contact. There was no way she could go back to those awful tests, especially not so soon. Sure, the steroids were helping slightly, but she wasn't even sure if she could stand up again without falling.

"No, please...please don't make me. Not yet." Her words, weak with exhaustion, were quickly shooed away by Mr. Nolan.

"Stupid girl. Do you really think I'm going to go easy on you after what you did to my family? I think I've been going fairly easy on you." He paused for a moment in pensive silence. "I think that if I pulled some strings, I could let you skip the rest of the first test and move on. Would you like that?"

Carrie furrowed her brow in confusion at the man's sudden change of heart and looked warily up at him. Should she accept? He seemed way too accommodating to be meaning well. The thought of going back to those impossibly heavy objects and struggling to lift them, though, seemed worse than anything else that could be planned.

She nodded a little, and the grin that spread across Mr. Nolan's face immediately made her regret her decision. "Wonderful," he said excitedly. "I will be back shortly, as soon as the next test is prepared. This time, we aren't just testing strength, my dear," he called with false sweetness over his shoulder as he exited the room.

"Wait, what...what is that supposed to mean?" Carrie asked languidly, but Mr. Nolan was already out of the room. She was frightened of the insane man; she had to keep reminding herself that she deserved whatever he chose to do to her. She had to remember that it would be wrong to fight back after what she had done.

When Mr. Nolan came back with the same malicious grin painted onto his face, though, Carrie wished she could bring herself to break free and run. She couldn't, though; he wasn't going to kill her. Not yet, anyway. She hung her head as another thought stole across her mind. _Everything would be better with you dead, anyway._

Carrie silently let Mr. Nolan go through the same process he had for the test before: releasing her from the tungsten chair and handcuffing her before leading her down various winding hallways. Her legs were weak and they barely supported her, but she managed to make it all the way to the testing room still standing.

It was a different room, about half as big. The same military-style door sealed it off from the corridor, but inside, most of the floor had been replaced with what looked like a deep in-ground pool. "Swimming?" Carrie asked, her voice tinted with the slightest hope it could possess. She could do that. She'd had a lot of practice swimming in gym class, and even being as tired as she was, she thought she could handle that.

Mr. Nolan only shook his head in response, though, and motioned toward another door that she hadn't noticed before. It was the same kind, but bigger, and it was already open. A construction vehicle was parked inside, and when Mr. Nolan waved at it, it sprang to life and drove toward them. It held what looked like a block of metal on the appendage attached to the front of it, connected to a chain and a single cuff. It looked like the same kind of metal the tungsten braces on her chair were.

The vehicle came to a stop at the very edge of the pool, and the driver hopped out to stand beside the metal block. Mr. Nolan gave Carrie a small shove and walked her up to the strange man. She could feel herself beginning to shake and hoped that this wasn't what it looked like. It couldn't be, could it?

Of course, it was exactly what it looked like. It was exactly what it looked like and Carrie was scared. She began to struggle against the hand locked around her upper arm, but Mr. Nolan's strong fingers refused to give way. With just a moment's hesitation, she thrust out with her telekinesis. Mr. Nolan barely flinched, and the outburst of power took out much more from her than it usually would have. She was completely helpless.

Carrie could do nothing as Mr. Nolan held her still and the other man locked the cuff around her ankle. She could only struggle half-heartedly against them and cry.

Once she was secured, Mr. Nolan let go of her and slapped her once. "Shut up; you're grating on my nerves. Your test? Survive. Good luck, you miserable excuse for a girl. I'll be back this evening."

"No! No, _please!_" Carrie screamed as the driver climbed back into the vehicle and began moving the metal block. "Please don't do this! I'll-"

"I said shut _up!_" Mr. Nolan yelled. "Drop her in, already!" he called to the driver, who nodded solemnly and manipulated the block until it was over the water.

Carrie was stunned into silence; she couldn't believe this was actually happening. The silence was almost palpable for the single second before the block was dropped into the water.

Carrie was pulled over the edge of the pool, her heart dropping to her stomach as she hit the cold water. The shock and the weight of the metal block were so extreme that she gasped as she was submerged, immediately breathing in the water. She coughed it back out, but as soon as it was expelled, all she could do was breathe in again as she sank to the bottom of the pool. Her lungs burned and she writhed against the chain, panic overwhelming her as her body tried desperately to draw in oxygen that didn't exist.

Carrie screamed into the water, but little actual sound came out with the jet of bubbles that left her mouth. She tried to push the water away with her power, to raise it and part it over her head, but she was still too weak. It did little more than send small ripples through the water.

She kept fighting, choking on the water until a warm sense of easiness spread through her body. She couldn't remember why she had been fighting; the peace under the water was far nicer than going back to that cold metal chair. Perhaps Mr. Nolan had done her a favor.

Carrie stared up at the surface of the pool, several feet above her, her eyes unfocused and her vision dimming. The last thing she saw before she fell unconscious was what looked like a small drill-shaped pocket of air moving toward her through the water, then nothing.

**A/N: Sorry about the super long wait, guys! I really have no excuse; I was just being a lazy distracted turd. Good news (for you guys): I quit musical, so I have a lot more time on my hands now. I'm going to try to update more often, but I can't make any promises because if I do, I'm afraid I won't keep them :/**

**Also, thank you for all of the suggestions! I don't think I'm going to use any that I didn't already have planned, and the ending is already set; everything has to lead up to that (and no, I won't tell what that is! No spoilers xD)**


	15. Chapter 15

Carrie woke up still soaking wet, her throat burning as she coughed up mouthful after mouthful of water. She was confused, and part of her was angry-_Wasn't I dead?_ she thought. She had no idea where she was, and her chest felt as if it had been torn to shreds on the inside. She was loathe to open her eyes after being falsely led to believe everything was over.

Once her coughing died down, though, she became more aware of her surroundings. She could hear the muffled sounds of people talking, and she had the strangest sensation of still being submerged in water. Come to think of it, it even felt as if the metal cuff was still tight around her ankle.

Carrie took a deep breath and cracked her eyes open, then had to hold back a startled gasp. Whatever she has expected, it was not this, and she wasn't quite sure what to do.

She was still in the water.

She was still attached to the impossibly heavy metal block, and she was still floating at the bottom of the pool. All that had changed was that there was a pocket of air surrounding her face with a sort of tube leading up and out of the pool.

Carrie brought her hand up and hesitantly stuck her fingers into the air pocket one by one, as if testing it to make sure it was real. The water seemed to be completely defying the laws of gravity, and for a moment Carrie wondered if she actually was dead, but she quickly discarded the notion.

Was it her power that had moved the water like this? She had tried to do something similar before she'd fallen unconscious, but she had been too weak. Surely she hadn't gained that kind of strength in just a couple of minutes?

Carrie decided not to question it; after all, it felt good to breathe again even though her throat and lungs were scorched from the chlorinated water. In her silence, she once more became aware of the voices. They were faint, and too warped by the thick wall of water for her to be able to make out words, but both voices sounded angry. They were both familiar to her as well, but she could only recognize for sure that one of them was Mr. Nolan.

She almost wanted to yell and plead for someone to let her out of the pool, but she knew what pleading last time had done. She stayed silent and decided to wait. What she was waiting for she didn't know, but she waited nonetheless.

* * *

Michael Nolan had wasted no time in getting Sue a therapist to talk to. He'd insisted that they wait until the next day, but Sue had demanded to go ahead and get it over with quickly. An hour later and she was seated on a comfortable plush chair inside a tiny office. In fact, the only thing comfortable about the entire room was the chair; everything else as so sterile and almost hospital-esque, and Sue hated it.

The therapist was a spindly woman with cropped blonde hair. She had thin, beady eyes and what appeared to be a permanent grimace. She introduced herself as Mrs. Duncan and immediately began asking Sue a spiral of questions.

"Why were you put in the institute in the first place?"

"That's...a long story," Sue said, her eyes downcast. "There's this girl, Carrie-"

"Carrie White?" Mrs. Duncan inquired, her narrow eyes piercing Sue's. She nodded slightly, and Mrs. Duncan continued: "I've heard of her. Big news in the papers she made."

"Y-yeah, well...she isn't...actually...dead," Sue finally managed to spit out. After that, the words came freely and she began to spill everything despite the woman's intimidating presence. "They buried her alive! My parents sent me here because I wanted to help her, but I had to, you see? I'm the reason she did what she did, and I had to fix it somehow! Not that I could fix it completely, but she needed a friend. She still needs a friend. The..." Sue began to get choked up, and she had to wipe her eyes before continuing. "The last time I saw her, my mom had knocked her out, and I guess my dad took her somewhere. I don't know where, but I...do you understand why I need to find her? She could be hurt, or she could hurt somebody else. That would destroy her; it's bad enough with what she did at the prom. I...I-I just...need to find out where she is. I need to make sure she's okay."

When she finally stopped speaking, she looked up to find Mrs. Duncan looking at her as if she were insane. The woman shook her head and massaged the bridge of her nose with her fingers for a moment, then sighed. "And why do you care so much about this girl?"

"Well, I..." Sue wasn't sure if she should tell Mrs. Duncan about her feelings, but this wasn't personal. Mrs. Duncan was a therapist, and everything was disclosed. "I think I'm in love with her."

"You think you are?"

"I am," Sue said. "I am in love with Carrie White."

"You may be the most determined young person I've seen in here. Ever. One more question, Sue." _We're already done?_ she thought. Then Mrs. Duncan continued: "What does your father look like?"

Sue furrowed her brow at the odd question, but after a moment's hesitation, she answered anyway. "I don't know...he has gray hair. Probably about 5'10"...blue eyes..."

"And Carrie? Average height, blonde hair?" Sue nodded, and Mrs. Duncan let out a deep sigh. "I knew this would happen eventually. I never questioned anything; it wasn't my place to. But I will tell you this: I have never liked working for Mr. Nolan and his brother. They do questionable things, and I'm not positive what they do exactly, but I have seen them disappear into into the basement for hours at a time, especially David. A couple of days ago, I saw him go down there with who I'm assuming is your father. He was carrying a girl, unconscious. I cannot tell you it's okay to break into the basement, but if someone were to try, it would not be my job to stop them. The basement door is located in the laundry room; that's not part of my workspace. And-this is only speculation-if one were to go down there, it would be advised not to go alone or during the day. That is all, miss Snell."

Sue stared at Mrs. Duncan with her mouth ajar, trying to comprehend everything that the woman had just told her. Carrie had been here the whole time? What could they possibly be doing with her in a basement? She blinked and smiled slightly. Mrs. Duncan had just told her everything she'd needed to know, including exactly where to find Carrie and when to do it. She didn't know who she'd bring with her, but she knew she would go alone if she couldn't find anyone. The danger was nothing compared to losing Carrie. "Thank you," Sue said, beginning to stand. "Thank you so much."

Mrs. Duncan only gave Sue a smile and waved goodbye.

**A/N: Sorry this took so long you guys! I go so caught up in everything else going on (which I THOUGHT wouldn't be as much as before, but I was wrong). Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


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